Artists: The Volcanic Volcanist

No painter could ever claim a more fiery
passion than Mexico's Gerardo Murillo. He loved volcanoes. He lived
four months on the slopes of Mount Etna, spent six months inside Popoca
tepetl's crater, and bought Paricutin volcano for $78 when it was a
baby in 1943. He so mistreated his body that his teeth fell out from
sulphur fumes and a leg was amputated because of bad circulation. He
called himself "Dr. Atl" (Aztec for water), and signed that name to
more than 11,000 drawings and 1,000 paintings, mostly volcanic
landscapes.